After the ghee scam and the Parakamani theft cases, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) is once again in the spotlight, this time for a ₹54 crore silk shawl scam that went on for ten years, from 2015 to 2025.

An internal vigilance inquiry has found that polyester shawls were allegedly supplied instead of pure silk at the Tirumala temple. These shawls, called Pattu Sariga Duppattas, are used to honour big donors during temple rituals. Over the years, around ₹54 crore was paid to a single vendor for supplying them.

The Vigilance Department collected samples of the shawls from the Vaibhavotsava Mandapam in Tirumala. These samples were sent to the Central Silk Board (CSB) laboratories in Bengaluru and Dharmavaram.

Both centres confirmed that the fabric was polyester, not silk, as mentioned in the tender and claimed by the contractor.

However, an earlier test of the same consignment at the CSB office in Kancheepuram had certified the material as silk. This mismatch has raised serious questions.

The vigilance team suspects foul play, suggesting the sample sent earlier by a TTD warehouse staffer may have been switched. The report also hints that the approval process at the Kancheepuram lab might have been influenced.

After these findings, the TTD Board has asked the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to carry out a full investigation into what is being called the “silk shawl scam.”

The vendor had been given the contract to supply 15,000 silk shawls at a rate of ₹1,389.15 per piece. These shawls, made of pure mulberry silk, are offered to major donors and are also used in important temple rituals like Vedasirvachanam.